I cannot really recall how many times we have visited places with ancient ruins in our travelling life, but one thing is sure – they are always making me feel incredible about humans and the things we can build, things which can last for centuries, although not in a perfect shape. It does not matter though, because the most important thing is the idea and what drives people to build, to create, to leave a mark on Earth.
The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates (Greek god of woodlands) is a part of ancient city of Kourion and it is situated about 2.5 kilometres west of it. We have visited Kourion as well, since it was so close and we do not regret that at all. The views were incredible! But this is a totally different story 🙂
The remains of the Temple which can be seen today belong to the mid-1st century A.D. However the worship of Apollo has a longer tradition as it began probably very early, about 8th century B.C. and continued until 4th century A.D.
In its original shape the site consisted of : a temple, a circular monument, Altar and Precinct. Unfortunately the earthquake destroyed the majority of buildings around 365 A.D.
What I really like about wandering around ancient sites like that is the feel of the place I can experience and the opportunity to try imagining how all this looked when it was in its full glory, with people living and using the place.
I was trying to imagine how the athletes once played and live in here, how priests were going about their business and who were people worshiping Apollo, what kind of pleas were directed towards this god…
Visiting Sanctuary is a great experience, the ruins are fascinating and the place is really beautiful and peaceful. The cost of the ticket is not great as well – 2.50 euros per person, it is even cheaper for the group – all the details about opening hours and the cost can be found here.
Wind Travelers 